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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. press — a publisher
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — to handle
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. press — to push
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com